Insights: Legal Updates - February 2016

Retail shops obtain a number of benefits from taking premises which are within a shopping centre or on a section of high street where one landlord is the owner of a number of neighbouring premises. In particular it often means that the responsibility for providing services, including the maintenance and repair of the common areas, […]

Do you know where that dress came from? While a garment’s label is likely to set out the country in which the item was made, consumers have traditionally had very little visibility over the actual hands sewing their clothes. Last week H&M and Next both admitted to sacking a supplier after finding Syrian refugee children […]

Clothing retailers are subject to ever increasing scrutiny from consumers over the working practices and conditions in which their products are being produced, in particular in respect of goods which are manufactured in low-cost locations. In December 2015, Primark hit the headlines when a shopper reported finding a note in a pair of socks which […]

The surprise departure of Raf Simons, the acclaimed Belgian designer, from Christian Dior late last year, reminded us of the pressure placed upon those who are charged with coming up with new designs to feed the fashion industry “beast”. Simons is widely believed to have left Dior in an attempt to preserve his work-life balance. […]

Introduction This briefing highlights company law changes which impose material new obligations on UK companies and limited liability partnerships (LLPs). The changes are also significant for those who hold interests in such entities, as they will be required to supply information to the company or LLP and, in some circumstances, there may be an impact […]

Parents, in particular, face a bewildering choice of structure options when it comes to making provision for their children in their Wills. Often the prospect of their child inheriting a large sum of money at age 18 does not appeal. Instead, being able to delay a child taking control of their inheritance until age 21 […]

This note offers guidance for anyone who wants to leave assets to minor children or grandchildren in their Will. You may be content for minors to inherit relatively small amounts of money outright after your death, perhaps regardless of what age they have reached at your death. However, you may not want a minor to […]

Here’s a quick “heads up” of what I see as the key reforms of IP laws in the pipeline at the European Union (EU) level that are likely to affect EU regional registrations of IP, as well as the national laws of each and every EU Member State.  You will no doubt be reading more […]

The EU Commission’s drive to encourage EU cross-border trade through increased consumer confidence took a step forward today (9 February 2016) with the operational launch of its online dispute resolution platform (ODR platform). The portal (which is accessible at the following link:  http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/) is specifically designed to help consumers who have bought goods or services […]

The interpretation of tenant break clauses has always been an area where the court routinely finds in favour of upholding the exact wording in the lease, regardless of the seemingly unfair impact that this may have upon the tenant and the tenant’s business. As such the recent decision of the Supreme Court in Marks & […]

Since 2008, it has (subject to limited exceptions) been compulsory to supply an energy performance certificate (EPC) for any property, commercial or residential, being let or sold.  Most clients will now be familiar with the grading that EPCs confer on a property, an “A” rating being the most energy efficient and a “G” rating the […]

The taxation of residential property in the UK has changed almost beyond recognition over the past few years. What were once tried and tested structures are in many cases no longer suitable. The tax consequences in any given situation are now liable to depend not only on the type of structure used but also the manner […]